PNW Parents, Have You or Your Child Lived Back East?

Parents Forum
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<p>I tried to search this topic, but had trouble finding anything. </p>

<p>We are just beginning our college search with sophomore S. Not much future travel time due to sports and ECs ruling our lives (I am sure many of you can relate). Search is wide open now, but many interesting schools are "back East". S is open to different geographic areas.</p>

<p>I would love information on what it is like to attend school or live in the Northeast if originally from the Pacific Northwest. It appears to be two different planets. I think regional differences are great, and it is a wonderful opportunity, but what are those regional differences? I have a pretty good idea of weather, as we have family in the Midwest, but what about the more intangibles? Culture, class, lifestyle, etc.? Have you sent a child to school there? Have you lived there yourself? What did you like? What was difficult? We may visit this summer (first time), but that won't tell us much, and we don't know anyone who lives there. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any information.</p>

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<p>bookmarking for interest. DH moved from the Willamette Valley to the East coast. Our kids grew up here, all of the cousins are Oregonians. I see some cultural differences; will be interesting to see if others feel the same.</p>

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<p>I have lived my whole life East of the Mississippi so cannot answer your question, but I do have a comment. One misconception that seems to be common is an assumption that “back east” means one of the big cities or that the whole of the east is one city after another. The reality is that there are very distinct area’s of the east coast. New England rural areas are very different then New England cities. Maine is not a bit like North Carolina. Philadelphia is a day’s drive from Pennsylvania State University and don’t confuse PSU with Penn. </p>

<p>Not only is the East Coast different from the PNW, but our whole coast’s worth of states are very unique.</p>

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<p>My father grew up in Portland, Oregon and came east to go to college. He never went back. :D</p>

<p>Seriously, as a dyed-in-the-wool New Englander who has also lived in the midwest and abroad, I see the PNW as possibly the only other area of the country to which I would be tempted to move, for reasons of (perceived) culture and climate.</p>

<p>kathiep’s points are very well taken. There is a lot of diversity in the east.</p>

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<p>Kathiep, I agree with you that there are most likely deep distinctions in the area. We have that here, also. Walla Walla is very different from Seattle is very different from Eugene is very different from Bend. We actually have desert here! But at the same time there are certain things that make them all the PNW, and part of that is culture, lifestyle, geography, etc. </p>

<p>But since we aren’t at a place to narrow schools down yet, I would just love to hear the experiences of PNW’ers who have moved to the Northeast, be it Maine, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Vermont, etc. It doesn’t matter if it is urban or not. Please feel free to keep your observations to the area that you know, and not generalize, if that works for you.</p>

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<p>Not from the Northwest, but as a New Yorker who goes to school and Maryland and knows people from all over the East Coast the BIGGEST difference is between the Urban, Rural and different type of suburban areas, at least in the North East. (DC and North for the sake of this)</p>

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<p>We lived in the Seattle area for 9 years - 2 older kids graduated from high school there. Both ended up going to (the same) college in the Philadelphia area. Then we ended up moving to New Jersey, so have some of our own perspective. I would certainly not want to rule out colleges in another area of the country if they are a good fit for your student and the transportation expense is not a deal breaker. Here are a few observations - some stereotypes, but have found them often true.</p>

<p>1) Both the PNW and the East Coast (most familiar with the mid-Atlantic and New England) can be provincial, though the PNWers may recognize their provincialism more. In the East, folks from the upper middle class may have been to Europe more than to the West Coast, and rarely to the great fly-over region in the middle of the country. If you say you are from Washington, they will assume you mean DC. In the PNW (at least WA state), it seems like everyone either goes to UW or WSU. The college counselors in the PNW high schools will know about a few other schools, like the Cal schools, Oregon, Arizona, but next to nothing about a small liberal arts college on the East Coast. In a high school in a similar type of neighborhood in NJ, by contrast, there is great attention paid to and many applications to highly selective colleges all over the country, especially the Ivies and Little Ivies.</p>

<p>2) When we lived in the PNW and told people that our kids were going to college on the East Coast, many said: “Aren’t you worried that they’ll meet someone there, get married, and not move back to the Puget Sound area?” That was never a concern of ours (we’ll be happy if our kids meet someone they love and get a job that pays benefits). But be aware that you’ll likely get those kinds of questions if your kids go to college in the East.</p>

<p>3) Yes, transportation can be a hassle, but it really depends on how close the college is to a major airport. A flight from Philadelphia to Seattle is a lot easier (though more expensive) than the drive to Pullman and back. On the other hand, if the college is a 2 hour bus ride from an airport, and there are limited direct flights back home, the air travel can get tiresome.</p>

<p>4) This is probably true for anyone who has a kid who goes to college far away, but be prepared that you may not have your child home for every Thanksgiving, and that you just won’t be able to hop in the car to see their athletic competition or arts performance.</p>

<p>5) As others have said, there are big differences between urban and rural, big and small. Penn State and Williams are both in relatively rural areas far from big cities, but differ tremendously in size. Princeton is in suburban New Jersey, while Columbia and Penn are in the middle of cities.</p>

<p>6) There are FAR more liberal arts colleges in the East, which means there are a number of choices at many different levels of selectivity and settings. Want a highly selective LAC near a big city - there’s Swarthmore. Something less selective, but still very close to an urban area, how about Ursinus or Goucher. Highly selective but rural, how about Williams or Middlebury? In the PNW if you are looking for top ranked LACs, you’ve got Reed and Whitman. There are other LACs, of course, but my point is that for LACs there is much more choice on the East Coast (and mid-West, for that matter).</p>

<p>7) Pay attention to the culture of the school. There are many cultural differences between the schools in the East. I’m most familiar with LACs, so for example the cultural differences between schools like F&M, Ursinus, Goucher, Union, Skidmore, etc. are probably at least as great as their similarities. How to figure out the culture? Starting points would be to read the college newspaper on-line, look at the demographics of where the students come from, what are the popular majors, where graduates end up working. Read the CC fora.</p>

<p>Full disclosure: When I went away to college (on the East Coast), it was ~ 5,000 miles from where I had grown up. So I have never seen the big issue about kids going to college far from home.</p>

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<p>^^^^
Thanks for the response, dadx3. What the goal is right now is an academic elite school with good financial aid where son could play D3 basketball. It is early in his academic and sports career, but he is on the right track in both areas. I think the only reason he would look as far as the NE is for the above. Even though he likes California and urban, he would definitely go anywhere if he was wanted as a point guard. He is the kind of kid that could fit in anywhere and be happy, unless it was a school the was uber snobby; haven’t read of that yet. </p>

<p>We kind of have a West Coast and Midwest list of schools (I personally love the midwest vibe!), but the Northeast just seems to be one big question mark. </p>

<p>You made some great points; the one about being worried about them staying on the East Coast, getting married, etc., cracked me up, as that is what I have thought and had a slight worry about!</p>

<p>I also loved the ideas of paying attention to the culture of the school, and how to find out more information. I never thought about looking at the student newspaper, demographics, etc.</p>

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<p>wrldtravlr,
As I hope you know, financial aid at most of the top LACs is need-based only. So it depends on what you mean by good financial aid. If you go down a rung on the selectivity scale, some of the LACs will give merit aid (also known as tuition discounting). If you qualify for need-based aid, then there can be a big difference in the aid awarded, whether they meet full need, include loans, etc. Not all schools meet full need without any loans, and some that do so now may not be able to do so 3 years down the road. And in any case, many families discover that the college’s calculation of their need (and EFC) does not match the family’s calculation. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Yes, I am aware of the financial aid situation; the reason I want to look at elite colleges is because of need-based aid. That is why we are keeping all options and all geographic areas open. If he can get more fin aid at a school in the NE than in the West, for example, then that is worth a look. I also don’t have a problem going down a rung in the selectivity scale for merit-based aid. We will definitely need a variety of schools, and I am not a big fan of USNWR rankings, anyway. Basketball is a must, though.</p>

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<p>My wife and I grew up on Long Island & Jersey, respectively. We both graduated from UVM (Vermont), then moved to Minneapolis, where I went to grad school and she went to work. After that, we moved to Seattle and have been here now for 30 years. So, I think that we have some insight into the differences between PNW, Midwest and East Coast.</p>

<p>Our son & daughter grew up in the Seattle region, but every Summer we went back East for a few weeks. As a result, they are quite familiar with eastern geography and culture. When the kids started looking at colleges, they gravitated toward SLACs, many of which are in eastern states. We did college visit trips to California, OH/WI/PA and MA/NY/CT. </p>

<p>Both kids ended up at Hampshire College, exactly 3000 miles from our door, according to Google Maps. It is challenging and expensive to get there and back, but we never discouraged our kids from going far away. In some ways, there is a lot to be said for learning to be more independent when you know that Mom or Dad are not just a few hours away.</p>

<p>The weather can be a shock to those from the PNW who are used to mild summers and winters. Sure, it rains commonly in Seattle, but the temperatures don’t hover around 0 F for a week or two, like they just did in New England. And, we also rarely experience those heavy muggy high-humidity high-temperature days in the summer either. On the plus side, you can swim in the Atlantic Ocean without wetsuit!</p>

<p>Our family has also come to take for granted that breath-taking mountain scenery is commonplace while driving any highway. Eastern mountains are far lower and less rugged, yielding a smoother, more gentle landscape.</p>

<p>While it is always risky to make such broad generalizations, there are certain cultural and regional differences that will seem prominent to PNW-erners. Our kids were shocked at the number of students who smoke (and I mean tobacco). They were also taken aback by the proportion of teens who had used hard drugs. They are also used to a more relaxed attitude and pace of living. I notice this too when I go back east - drivers are much more aggressive, people are more raucous in stores and restaurants, and more assertive in their interactions with others. While I prefer the PNW attitude more, I’ve also had my share of frustration with native PNW-erners who are so ‘nice’ that they are unwilling to share their true feelings about issues that involve any controversy or personal confrontation.</p>

<p>I’m reminded of a line from the famous ‘Sunscreen Speech’ ([Wear</a> Sunscreen Speech - By Mary Schmich](<a href=“http://www.planetgary.com/sunscreen.htm]Wear”>http://www.planetgary.com/sunscreen.htm)) by Chicago Tribune columnist, Mary Schmich: “Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.”</p>

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<p>FYI, our son graduated last Spring and immediately moved back to Seattle. He’s not sure why anyone would want to live anywhere else.</p>

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<p>I am. I look forward to leaving Seattle on a daily basis. Tired of everything from the rain to the PCnes of everything. Nobody wants to just call a spade a spade.(A term that goes back to 178 BC before anyone gets agitated) </p>

<p>As to the question–Think the opposite of the PNW. People will be blunt, talk fast, drive faster, value tradition and achievement more than being enlightended and high tech. More status conscious and less passive aggressive.</p>

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<p>This is a good point and the competition can get to you.</p>

<p>I have visited the PNW, grew up in Iowa, and have lived in Maryland for nearly 20 years. For me, the Northeast is quite varied and has pockets of about everything. If you get into New Hampshire and Vermont, you get more of a country vibe, IMO. The closer you are to cities, the faster things seem to move. However, you don’t have to go very far west (DD is in Pittsburgh, for example) for the pace to slow just a bit.</p>

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<p>Not sure it is relevant to the college choice, but there is a very different perspective on geography of the U.S. between the East and West Coasts. I’ve found that many Easterners consider anything West of the Appalachians “the West” - certainly anything West of Pittsburgh is “the West.” Westerners, on the other hand, consider anything East of the Mississippi “the East.”</p>

<p>Then, of course, there is the historical development of the U.S., which puts Northwestern University in Chicago.</p>

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<p>Ah yes, and for those not in the know, they may think Northwestern U is in Seattle, forgetting the development of the Northwest Territories. Or that Washington University (in St. Louis) and the University of Washington are in the same city, Seattle (and since I graduated, there is now UW-Tacoma, UW-Bothell.)</p>

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<p>I grew up in NE, progressively migrated to the Mountain West (maybe make it to PNW by retirement?) and DS, who grew up in the Mountains, is a freshman at an East Coast school.</p>

<p>Yes, there are cultural differences but whether these matter or not depends muchly on your child and his/her temperament. DS doesn’t much care what others think of him and pretty much does what he wants to do, so any differences are almost irrelevant to him. He hangs with his math/science kids (who seem to be similar wherever they come from) and half the time doesn’t even seem to know where his friends hail from (almost all NE prep schools). He also says they are minimally interested in where he comes from. </p>

<p>This may be a very different scenario for another kid who cares more about pecking orders and social stations and such. I watched “The Social Network” the other day and was very grateful that DS would have no interest whatsoever in being invited to join the Porcellian (which I had to look up afterwards despite having grown up in an Ivy town) because it would never happen. But it seemed like a big deal to the kids in the movie.</p>

<p>18 year olds are/should be malleable. If they have a strong sense of self, they will be fine with any reasonably sized school at which they can find their niche.</p>

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<p>I think the characterization that many east coasters can be oblivious about the territory between the coasts is accurate. When I met my future husband - an Ivy League educated New Englander, he thought people from Chicago (my home town) wore cowboy hats, because it was the “Midwest.” Chicago has subsequently become his favorite city. I now live in New England and while it’s difficult to identify clear cultural differences, the one common thread that I have noticed is this type of provincialism. Many of my friends and acquaintances know more about Europe than they do about a vast portion of the US. To them, the US consists mainly of the East Coast, Florida, and California.</p>

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<p>This is one difference our family notices. The cousins in Oregon go to the coast. They pack sweatshirts and have chowder at Mo’s. My kids go to the Jersey shore. They pack sunscreen and have dinner at Mack and Manco’s. :)</p>

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<p>No swarms of Japanese Beetles, Caterpillars, mosquitoes here in the PNW, :)</p>